Unbelievable: Indiana head coach set new rules for Caitlin Clark’s bad habits.
Whether the establishment chooses to acknowledge it or not, Caitlin Clark is the most anticipated WNBA rookie of all time. In the annals of college basketball, she is the greatest scorer ever!
To help the No. 1 overall pick realize her full potential, Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides wants to break the poor habits of the player.
Diana Taurasi forewarned Clark before the Draft that “reality is coming.” Clark, like her when she left Baylor as the top choice in 2013, will go through “growing pains” in the WNBA, according to Brittney Griner, who recently repeated her teammate’s thoughts.
At the start of the Fever’s 2024 preseason game, neither of those statements was accurate. With 16 points in her debut, Clark excelled.
The level of scoring in Indiana’s second preseason match of the year was not quite as high.
Despite Clark’s poor shooting performance (4 of 12), third-year veteran NaLyssa Smith swiftly dispelled the rumor that her new backcourt partner had a “off night.” Instead, she opened doors and made the offense easier. She would have had a double-double if a few of her teammates had made some simple layups after an assist! The 22-year-old
Having said that, there is yet opportunity for improvement. The main cause of it is Clark’s choice of shots.
To ease the transition to the next level, Sides introduced a new rule.
Clark was the main scorer in every scenario at Iowa. Her squad would frequently win thanks to her 30-point or more efforts. That will not always be the case in the WNBA, as the Fever’s victory on Thursday night demonstrated!
The remarks made by the second-year coach have nothing to do with Caitlin Clark’s capacity to assist as a floor general. She’s not even advising her not to take open looks or to shoot fewer times. Instead, Sides only wants Clark to change her shot selection according on how she is defended, much as Steve Kerr and Steph Curry do!
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Bookmakers are sweating over Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever as WNBA wagers flood in.
The odds are stacked against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever by the betting public, while the Las Vegas Aces are the clear favorites to win an NBA title for a record third time.
At the Westgate SuperBook, the Aces, who made history last season by being the first team in twenty-one years to repeat as champions, are -110 favorites to take home another championship. The +225 second choice is the New York Liberty, the league runners-up from the previous season. The odds for every other team are double digits or greater.
Indiana is second in terms of money wagered (29%), trailing only the Las Vegas Aces (41.5%), the two-time defending champions and another well-liked public club that also attracts a lot of professional bettors.
They went from +2500 to win the title to +1800 because to the massive betting on the Fever. From a +115 favorite to even money, Las Vegas gained ground.
BetMGM Sportsbook trade manager Seamus Magee stated, “Caitlin Clark drove record handle on the women’s NCAA Tournament, and the interest from bettors has carried over to the WNBA.” “We anticipate that throughout the season, Fever games will receive the most wagers, and that bettors will enjoy using Clark’s player props.”
If there was a Fever championship, bookies would be sweating. With over half of the betting tickets on the Fever, who kick off the season on Tuesday against the Connecticut Sun, they are the greatest liability at BetMGM Sportsbook. At Caesars Sportsbook, the narrative remains the same.
Indiana is tied with the Sun at Caesars with the fourth-best odds at 15-1. Indiana went 13-27 the previous season, which helped the Fever secure Clark with the No. 1 overall choice.
The favorites to win the championship are the Seattle Storm at +800, the New York Liberty at +240, last year’s runner-ups, and the Aces at +100.
“I believe there has been a noticeable rise in the handle since last year at this time,” stated David Lieberman, the oddsmaker at Caesars basketball. “Considering the hype surrounding Clark, it makes sense.”
Clark is now among the favorites to win MVP as a result of this talk. At +1000, she is a great value bet as she has 68% of the bets at BetMGM Sportsbook to win the league’s best individual award.
The two favorites are A’ja Wilson of Las Vegas at +120 and Breanna Stewart of New York at +550. Both have won twice already; last season, Stewart narrowly defeated Wilson and Alyssa Thomas of the Sun. Wilson capitalized on the perceived slight during the WNBA playoffs the previous year.
Additionally, Clark is ranked third in Caesars’ MVP odds at +850, behind Stewart at +550 and Wilson of Las Vegas at +100.
The likelihood of Clark winning Rookie of the Year is essentially nonexistent. She is -750 at BetMGM Sportsbook, which explains why 22% of bets have been placed on her, while 43% of action has gone to Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky, who has a far greater payout at +3000.
Lieberman argued, “I would argue there’s no value betting the Fever or Caitlin Clark MVP right now.” It’s likely that the odds are not as high as they ought to be. There’s undoubtedly a lot of public activity there. It seems to me that no sharps (pros) are willing to wager on something that is currently clearly a touch below what it should be.
